Three ways to stretch a budget as prices rise

WITH rising prices for fuel and food, many South African households are feeling the pressure.

Here are three ways to stay within budget and beat inflation:

Keep a calendar

Find a nook in your home to hang a calendar, and mark down the due dates for your monthly and annual payments. This will ensure that there are no fines for late payments. The visual aid will also make it easier to plan ahead and get all your ducks in a row. Dates to earmark include your annual car licence renewal and vehicle service. You can also jot down monthly bill deadlines such as rent, levies, or utility payments.

ALSO READ: Diesel users to pay more while petrol users will pay slightly less from midnight

Plan the weekly grocery shop

Jot down a meal plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner and make a shopping list of the items you need for each meal. Before you hit the shops, take a moment to browse your local newspaper for specials. Consider making separate shopping lists for different stores, to maximise the bargains on offer. At the shop, try to focus on your list and avoid being led astray by specials for items you don’t need.

ALSO READ: #HAPPYDAY: Food glorious food

Waste not, want not

The old adage couldn’t be more true. Taking the time to measure out the correct portions when cooking can prevent unnecessary food waste. Opting for frozen vegetables or tinned items is also a great way to ensure food is not spoiled throughout the month. Consider taking a monthly shopping trip for non-perishables and doing bi-weekly trips for fresh produce.  Another great way to prevent waste is to precut the fruit or vegetable portions you will need for the meals you plan to cook during the month. Not only will this keep produce from spoiling, but it will also minimise the cooking time for those rushed weeknight meals or on-the-go breakfast smoothies.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.        Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Berea community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.   PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.